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  1. Obsessively blogging about pop music, pop videos, pop stars, and pop culture from inside the MTV headquarters in Times Square. We also have a slight Jonas Brothers problem. And a little fixation with Tokio Hotel.

    Contact us as buzzworthy@mtv.com and follow us on Twitter at @MTVBuzzworthy.

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If the name Jason Derulo doesn't sound like any hitmaker you know, then you're not one of the 15 million MySpace listeners the 20-year-old R&B chart-crusher claims. And you must not own a radio.

Jason Derulo's "Whatcha Say" track, produced by J.R Rotem, samples (and by "samples," I mean, "uses the entire refrain of") Imogen Heap's "Hide And Seek," but Jason pulled from his own brother's adulterous confessions when he penned the song. While it's unclear how Jason Derulo's brother feels about this kind of publicity, his little brother's a star -- "Whatcha Say" hit the number 1 spot on the iTunes Top 200 Songs at the end of September.

Thanks in part to some label signage by Kara DioGuardi (they rode to the VMAs together) we can expect a debut album from Jason soon enough. Get a hint of Jason Derulo's musical background on his MySpace with "Strobe Light," which you can expect to hear in the MTV movie Turn The Beat Around come 2010.

Watch Jason Derulo with Beluga Heights signee IYAZ on the VMA red carpet, and watch the source of his "Whatcha Say" inspiration -- Imogen Heap's "Hide And Seek" video. And watch for more Jason Derulo coming soon!

(Credit: Kareem Black, MTV)

WHAT is Justin Bieber thinking in this photo? Probably "HOW am I SO flippin' Archuletally adorbulent?" Or maybe... "How am I already so much cooler than Aaron Carter was at my age?"

And in the photo below, 15-year-old Justin Bieber is CLEARLY showing off the defensive moves used in his wolf pack, which includes Usher. (No idea what that means? Watch Justin's MTV interview to see how he and Usher got together in the first place.)

Check out more brand-new photos of Justin Bieber after the jump, and check out the whole gallery here.

Read more...

Does Usher run in your wolf pack? Usher runs in Justin Bieber's wolf pack. And as you might expect, there are perks to Usher running in your wolf pack: getting to play video games in his house (apparently you have your own set of keys) and throwing sick parties when he's gone to impress the ladies.

Indeed, I'm a little fixated on the 15-year-old YouTube sensation-turned-recording artist's use of the term "wolf pack," but regardless, watch this self-made, self-taught talent's MTV Discover & Download interview below, if only for the ridiculously adorable segment of Justin Bieber playing guitar on the street for change. (Justin may be nonchalant about this, but he really made $3000 from guitar-case change tosses!?! How is that even possible? I'm having a vision of him breaking the CoinStar machine right now... )

Anyway, in addition to Justin's overall sweetness, he's got some real talent (hey, YouTube browsing time is precious -- Justin didn't get the plays for nothing).

Watch Justin discuss the wolf pack, and after the jump, watch Justin perform an acoustic version of "One Time" in the MTV studio -- just Justin and his guitar.

Read more...

(Credit: Dan Gillian)

I can get into The Summer Set's iPod-ready pop-punk stylings; I can get into the youthful, effortless energy of it all, but I gotta say, I LOVE that the one girl of this fivesome is the band's drummer. Sorry -- not sexist, right? That's just bad-ass, and I love it. You work your stuff, Jess Bowen; who says the guys should be the only ones hitting stuff?

So anyway -- still with me? The Summer Set, of Arizona, is all you if you're into some honest fare for your party mix or your running playlist. The group's sounds are very, very of-the-now, but there's solid musical instincts behind it; and the lyrics are airy and mercifully un-cheesy.

Even though they're signed now, The Summer Set ctually made a name for itself with self-released EPs, MySpace postings, and unsolicited friend requests!

I'm particularly into "Chelsea" -- about a girl whose sheer hotness is powerful enough to get other girls' names deleted from iPhones. Little aside: "Chelsea" is based on lead singer Brian Dales' girlfriend Chelsea Staub -- surely you know her as Stella Malone from JONAS on Disney. So does that mean Chelsea really wears a new dress every day? Girl, that's a lot of work... but I guess you get back what you put out; this might even be the dangerous Chelsea from that sweet Stefy song...

The Summer Set's debut full-length album, Love Like This, drops this fall on October 13th. Can't wait for that? Listen to The Summer Set's cover of Usher's "Love In This Club." And follow them on Twitter at @the_summer_set.

MTV is turning 28 years young (old) tomorrow, Saturday, August 1st, and instead of drinking some stupid combination of alcohol and generic fruit juice that we're too old for, or getting a Dairy Queen ice cream cake with the little chocolate crunchies (you're NEVER too old for those -- those are SO delicious), we'll be celebrating by remembering an artist who's given more to MTV over those 28 years than almost anyone else -- the late Michael Jackson.

At 12pm ET/PT, watch the world premiere of Michael Jackson's Human Nature -- an MTV special featuring  candid stories from Michael Jackson's friends and colleagues about the human side of Michael Jackson, not just Michael Jackson the entertainer.

At 12:30pm ET/PT, watch Michael Jackson’s Top 10 Video Countdown -- 90 minutes of Michael Jackson's most popular videos, determined by their popularity on mtv.com. Plus, get facts and trivia about each video and rare interview footage of Michael discussing his singles.

At 2pm, MTV presents the world premiere of Michael Jackson’s Influence on Music -- an hour-long special featuring a collection of the top videos by the artists influenced by Michael Jackson -- from Justin Timberlake to Usher, and more, plus messages from artists remembering Michael Jackson and exclusive interviews about the impact Jackson had on their music and lives.

Finally, at 3pm watch a special reairing of America’s Best Dance Crew: Michael Jackson’s Thriller to see dance crews remember Michael by creating their own new dances set to Michael Jackson's classic Thriller album to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

+ Plus: Watch two seminal Michael Jackson videos from when MTV was just a baby:

If there's one thing life continues to teach, it's that through Usher and YouTube all things are possible. Fifteen-year-old Justin Bieber may have a fancy record deal now, but growing up in Stratford, Ontario where did a meeting with L.A. Reid fit in?

Well, this Canada teen is one of those effortless talents: Justin posted to YouTube his informal Usher, Ne-Yo and Justin Timberlake covers; unlike the multitudes of copycats, however, Justin raked in Leave-Britney-Alone-level views -- which quickly led to a manager phone call and a face-to-face with Usher.

Hence the cameo for Justin's first video and lead single, "One Time," which you can check out below. Hey, when Usher's away, the kids will play? ... or at least throw family-friendly house parties. Alongside "One Time," Justin's debut album features production from The-Dream and Tricky Stewart -- and dude hasn't even graduated high school.

Does Justin's rise remind anyone else of Esmee Denters? YouTube covers sent the wannabe singer from Oosterbeek, Netherlands on a similar path; although Esmee signed with Justin Timberlake's label, while (according to Justin Bieber himself) Justin passed up J.T.'s offer to work with Usher and L.A. Reid. Battle of the YouTube finds!

+ Instead of just owning up to the fact that her goose is cooked (not in Tamar's opinion, mind you) Mariah Carey did a little Twitter damage control following her performance at the Michael Jackson memorial service yesterday at L.A.'s Staples Center, saying she was just too overcome with emotion to give a perfect performance. However, longtime collaborator Trey Lorenz was pitch-perfect and sounded pretty much exactly the same as he did on Mariah's original MTV Unplugged version of "I'll Be There". (MTV News)

+ Season-ticket holder to Crazytown Lil Mama likened Michael Jackson's passing to the death of THE Jesus Christ. (Rap-Up)

+ Long-forgotten rapper Mase has been inspired by who else to make a comeback? None other than Michael Jackson/Jesus Christ. UGH. Jesus Christ! (Perez Hilton)

+ Sam Lutfi, Britney Spears' former best buddie/pal/stalker/drug crusher-upper/phonewire cutter is like the STD bronchitis you just can't kick. He's now filed papers in court saying that BritBrit has made him fear for his life. He's even naming some character witnesses, including Brit's former paparazzi squeeze Adnan Ghalib. Vat a mess... (TMZ)

+ In other douchebag news, Chris "Plea Bargain" Brown was not only seen kickin' it to Kanye's ex, Amber Rose at Diddy's annual White Party, but he also wore a beautiful, custom-crafted $300,000 diamond pendant that said "OOPS." Has this kid's parole started yet?? (Cele|bitchy)

+ Green Day is cashing in on their piece of music game "Rock Band," having just added three songs to the game's catalog. (MTV News)

+ And all this time I thought Raven Simone was just big-boned! SHE WAS PREGNANT?! At least for nine months of the last seven years. (Global Grind)


Personas are important, but they're distracting. I'm thinking of Pink, in particular, who has done so much to define herself as a wild-haired rocker bad-ass, that it's easy to totally overlook the fact that she's also super talented. In other words, it can be hard to hear -- over all the hollering and snarling she's rightfully famous for -- that Pink can sing like nobody's business.

Butch Walker looks real tough, too, but he's another story altogether. He's been chipping away at the music industry since the mid '80s, working as a songwriter, producer and a member of several successful bands. He's played pop metal, glam, and straight up rock with bands like SouthGang and Marvelous 3, never restricting himself to any particular genre. Between gigs he's made records for artists as diverse as Avril Lavigne, Lindsay Lohan, Hot Hot Heat, Pete Yorn, The Academy Is..., The Cab and, wouldn't you know it, Pink.

Outside of the studio, Butch and Pink (who share a motorcycle obsession, among other things) have been drinking buddies for ages. He played her "Here Comes The..." way back, when he first wrote it, and she was instantly smitten. Told Butch that if and when he ever recorded it, she wanted to take care of the harmonies for him. When the time came, that's exactly what she did.

In his latest effort, a solo stint that's produced a record called Sycamore Meadows, Butch Walker plays boozy, drawling rock, true to his Georgia roots. "Here Comes The...," the album's second single, is a rollicking bar room reel. And, although Pink doesn't appear in the hilariously weird mannequin-love video below, she carries the tune with backing vocals that ooze old-country soul. By checking her persona at the door, Pink lets previously overshadowed talent shine through, possibly ushering in a new direction for her music and a more solid identity for Butch Walker's.

There's a lot I can handle (like two full days at Camp Jonas, and a Halloween candy binge with Tokio Hotel in a hotel), but Shin and his cheese fetish and Kiro's newfound love for asparagus and Strify's flirtation with Usher are not on my list of Top Three Insane Things I Can Handle. (Insane in the good way, of course.)

Watch Cinema Bizarre share -- fabulously, of course -- five things you need to know about them, and stay tuned for your fan question interview, coming soon, kinderz!

You already know that Drew Seeley not only wrote some of the songs on the High School Musical soundtrack (and earned an Emmy nomination for "Getcha Head In The Game") but was also Zac Efron's singing voice (not in a ventriloquist way though). You also know that Drew Seeley starred with Selena Gomez in Another Cinderella Story, which is where "New Classic" comes in! And no, "New Classic" isn't about sneakers. It's about Selena.

So, here are five things I love about Drew Seeley's "New Classic" video:

1.) Drew references "PYT," which is an AMAZING old-school Michael Jackson song! KNOW this!

2.) Once the chorus kicks in, you can almost sing Usher's "Yeah!" (yeah!) on top of it, which is cool.

3.) Drew kind of looks like a young Robbie Williams. Well, doesn't he?

4.) Selena uses public transportation in the video. SO enviro-friendly and green, like her friend Miley!

5.) The "New Classic" video looks like it cost next to nothing to make but instead focuses on Drew's vocal chops instead of over-the-top effects. And HELLO! We're in a hardcore RECESSION, people. Everyone should take a tip from Drew Seeley and shoot on a shoestring. And by "everyone," I mean Kanye West.

Watch Drew in action in "New Classic."